Till Death Are We Reunited
by Trajectory of Simplicity
Summary: Lyra and Will have died and they're looking forward to seeing each other again. Now only a one-shot.


A/N: So first things first, I would like to make it clear that I am a faithful Roman Catholic girl and that I do not believe in the fact that we do not go to heaven when we die. I will always believe that and I don't think anything will make me think otherwise. There are, however, several reasons as to why I wrote this. One reason is the fact that Philip Pullman is an amazing author and I love the **His Dark Materials** trilogy. I love the characters and I love the elaborate storyline even though my beliefs differ in his. And the other reason is that Lyra and Will (two amazing characters) deserve a happy ending. Also, I'm writing this because I love writing, but that's beside that point. To simplify what I have been saying, I am writing this story for the pure joy of writing and because Lyra and Will really do deserve a happy ending.

**Summary:** Lyra and Will have died. Ummm…well, there's really nothing else to say about this story other than that! Lol

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the **His Dark Materials** trilogy. Philip Pullman does, the lucky duck…

Anyway, on with the story!

Lyra opened her eyes and knew she was dead.

There was her kindly death, beckoning her, calling her, and she knew she had no choice but to obey. Following her death and the stream of people, she was vaguely aware of her fading surroundings. She knew exactly what was going to happen.

Absently, her eighty-year-old eyes searched for her beloved daemon, but she realized he wasn't there anymore. A part of her was missing, she could feel it and knew that that missing part was her dear Pantalaimon, but she realized that she would be reunited with him soon.

_But not just Pan,_ Lyra remembered with a jolt, _Will, too._

A flicker of hope shone in her old eyes. She's going to be with Will again! She smiled happily and walked onward, a new spring to her step.

Her death knew what she was thinking about and smiled back at her. "Yes," he said. "Soon, you two will be together again."

Lyra looked into her death's kind, understanding eyes and her smile grew.

Will had been dead for an hour now. He had been dutifully following his death with Kirjava absent from his side.

Quietly, he asked his death, "D'you think I'll be able to see Lyra again?"

His death answered, "Isn't that what you promised to each other? You told her that you'd wander throughout the worlds until each of your atoms find hers and then you'd hold on to each other so tight, both your atoms would be one."

Will fell silent; they both knew it was true. His old wrinkled face looked straight ahead with purpose. _Yes,_ he thought, _I _swear_ I'll see her again._

When his death guided him to the riverside where the boatman will come to take him away, she immediately smiled at him and stepped in the fog, vanishing from sight. Will stared at where his death had once stood; wondering whether or not he would ever see his death ever again. Perhaps, I will see her once again, Will thought. Just like Kirjava, maybe I'll be reunited with my death, too.

Will waited. He didn't know how long; time didn't matter anymore. A few people joined him in waiting. Some tried to make conversation with him, but after a few exchanged words, they knew he wanted nothing more to do with them. After what seemed to him like a few moments (perhaps it was a lifetime for others), the sound of paddles entering and exiting the water reached his ears. When the boat and the boatman emerged from the fog and landed on the shore, Will and the people who had waited with him stepped into the boat and sat down.

The boatman looked toward Will as he began rowing. A faint smile flickered across his aged face. "So, you came back?"

Will looked at the boatman, puzzled. Then realization dawned on his face. "Yes," he said, "Yes, I have"

"So, you didn't forget about me? Most people would have forgotten."

"How can I ever forget the day when I entered the dead while I was alive?"

"Quite true," the boatman said. "Quite true."

The rest of the trip was made in silence. Will didn't know how long the ride took; nor did he even care, but if he had to make a guess, it was probably a few minutes. But all that really mattered at that time was that the boat arrived on a shore with trees not too far from the sandy banks.

Will stepped off the boat, and, began walking toward the trees. After passing under the first tree that he came across, a loud, harsh cry sounded above him, jarring his ears, causing him to use his hands to muffle the earsplitting shriek. Looking up toward the sound, he almost smiled when he saw who the scream belonged to. "Gracious Wings!" he called.

Immediately, the screech stopped and the harpy swooped down toward Will. Landing on a branch nearby, she said, "You were with Lyra that last time. The one who cut a window from here to the other worlds."

"I'm him," he stated simply.

"You have not told me your story yet."

Will nodded and said, "Yes, I haven't and I will, but before I do, I want to ask you a question. Do you know if Lyra has already died?"

The harpy looked toward her sisters, all of which landed on branches nearby. Will was startled. He didn't notice them landing. "Have any of you seen the Lyra girl pass by?" Gracious Wings asked.

When all the harpies shook their heads in declination, Will breathed a sigh of relief. Or maybe it was a sigh of sadness. He wasn't quite sure. He was relieved to know that Lyra hadn't died yet, but that meant he wouldn't be able to reunite with her for a long time. And the very thought of waiting for her again after more than seventy years made his heart sink down to his stomach.

The harpies called out to him, telling him to begin.

Will snapped out of his reverie and, remembering the conditions Lyra and the Gallivespians made a long, long time ago, he began. "I guess the first thing I should tell you about is the time when my mother made me think everything was a game…" And he went on, describing his innocent childhood. As he talked, the memories of years he had once thought were long forgotten flashed before his eyes and whatever came up in his mind, he told of, no matter if they were out of order. The happiness of those days brought a faint smile to his face and he described all that he remembered, not daring to leave a single detail out even if that detail was trivial.

When the days of his innocent childhood was over, that small smile on his wrinkled old face turned into a frown as the not-so-happy memories of the truth of his mother's problems and of the teasing of the kids in his school emerged in his mind. He remembered and told of how he felt angry and annoyed at how the kids made fun of him because of his "psycho mother" as they so rudely called her. He went into detail about snatches of fights between him and some of the kids when the memory of it occurred. And he recited the tale of how he refrained from letting anyone, no matter how kind they were into his personal life.

Here is where he vaguely noticed the tall ancient doors where the faint memory of Lyra being attacked by a harpy who was once called No-name took place. The memory emerged slowly in his mind for a fleeting second before another memory much earlier than that one pushed it aside and he continued.

When there was no more to say about the sad memories of loneliness, subtlety, and concern for the welfare of his beloved mother, he remembered the kindness of Mrs. Cooper and how she allowed him to leave his mother there with her. He spoke of how he felt leaving there and the adventures he had at his home when the agents searched his house. And he continued, telling of his memories of how he met Lyra.

At remembering Lyra, his face lit up and he told the memories of his adventures with her and how together, they escaped and survived every trap and snare and horrible truth and lies thrown at them. As he told of him and Lyra, he managed to squeeze in the memories of the events leading up to how they entered the world of the dead and even further than that.

But the one memory that was seared into his mind so completely that he remembered every detail as if it happened just moments before was the one where he and Lyra confessed their love for each other. He spoke of it with such vibrant detail that the remaining harpies (most of which flew away, looking to hear the stories of others) shuddered as the emotions of that precious memory flooded them.

And he continued on to the memories of the years after his and Lyra's separation.

When he had told the few harpies that remained all that he could tell of his life, they all stopped talking and a silence between them ensued as they absorbed the emotions of his life.

"Will I be guided to the opening I made now?" Will asked after a short wait.

Before he heard his answer, all the harpies, except Gracious Wings, flew away. The remaining harpy swooped down to a branch closer to Will. "You didn't hold anything back and you had a rich life to tell. I will lead you to the opening. Follow me."

Gracious Wings flew from branch to branch until they passed the ancient doors that Will had gone through before a long, long time ago. When they passed through, Gracious Wings took flight far ahead of him, going slow enough so that Will can always catch sight of her.

As he walked, Will noticed his body grow more and more transparent until he could almost "feel" his body passing through any object with any kind of substance. He wondered why he doesn't just drop through the ground. The transformation from solidity to almost nothingness was so evident that he could almost "feel" his voice growing softer, too, even though he was not speaking a single word. To test this out, he tried calling out to the harpy, flying above him, guiding him to his destination.

"Gracious Wings!" he said. The said harpy looked back to see what he needed and started to fly back at him, but Will shook his head, telling her that it was nothing. Gracious Wings raised her eyebrows at him, obviously a bit peeved that he would call her for nothing, but she let it go and flew back to where she was.

Will was, however, surprised to see that Gracious Wings could even _hear _him, since he could barely hear himself. He tried in vain to raise the volume of his voice, but he eventually accepted the fact that he could, in fact, speak no louder than a whisper.

After walking for about an hour, he recognized the huge tree where Lyra had sat under when she talked about her life at Jordan College. For a moment, he remembered the way her lips moved as she formed the words of her story. He remembered the sincerity of the words as the truth spilled out of her lips. And an idea dominated his mind.

He turned to Gracious Wings. "Lyra hasn't died yet right?" the harpy nodded. "Could I stay here and wait for her?"

Gracious Wings raised an eyebrow at him. "You might have to wait years before she dies."

He looked away and fell silent for a moment. "Still, I want to see her one more time before I go back to the living."

The harpy answered, "Well, if you want to that badly, I'll be sure to lead her here when she dies."

Will smiled gratefully and sat among the giant roots of the tree. "Please, remember your promise."

The harpy nodded and flew off; leaving Will to wait for the one he loves.

Lyra found herself on the shore of the same foggy river where she had left her dear Pantalaimon trembling on the muddy banks. Her death looked back at her one more time and said, "This will definitely be the last time." And he smiled and vanished in the fog.

Lyra sat down on the banks and waited. She felt utterly alone. She yearned for Pantalaimon's soft fur and wanted to stroke it and hold him one more time, but she knew she can never do that. She reminded herself again that soon she and Pan will be reunited.

Before long, an ancient boat and a just as ancient boatman came rowing out of the fog. Lyra stood up and stepped into the boat. No one else accompanied her. The boatman nodded to her and she smiled back. Unusually, Lyra found nothing to say and so went through the ride without a single word escaping her mouth.

A few minutes later, Lyra stepped onto the island of the dead. She walked toward the huge, ancient door, but before she could lay a hand on it, a harsh cry sounded nearby and she covered her ears to block the piercing scream. Soon, however, the shriek came to an abrupt stop and a familiar voice said, "Welcome back, Lyra Silvertongue."

Lyra turned toward the speaker and exclaimed, "Gracious Wings!" She threw her arms around the harpy and kissed her face.

Gracious Wings found herself enjoying the attention. Smiling happily, she moved away from Lyra to look her in the eyes. "You have already told us your story so perhaps we can make an exception with you."

The harpies who joined them while their attention was elsewhere all looked at Lyra's face and flew away, knowing that there would be no story from her. Lyra looked, surprised, at the retreating harpies. "But I haven't told you _everything_ I have experienced while I was alive."

"Yes, but yours was the story who started it all. Anyway, there is a place I must take you before you enter the world of the living."

Lyra looked at her, puzzled. "Where are you going to take me?"

"I think it would be best if you see for yourself."

Lyra opened her mouth to protest, but stopped herself, thinking it best to leave it that, and obediently followed the harpy. As they walked, she realized that her body was growing more and more transparent. She reached out toward a low branch, but found that her fingers passed through it as if she no longer had any substance which was probably true. She opened her mouth to make a sound, but only a quiet whisper, barely audible, came out. She closed her mouth and thought, _Welcome to the dead, Lyra._

"Gracious Wings, are we almost there?" Lyra asked after what seemed like a half hour.

"Just another half hour and we will be there," the harpy replied. Lyra was bursting with excitement and the thought of another half hour of walking dampened her spirits a little, but she didn't protest and continued following her.

Another half hour passed (though Lyra thought it felt like an eternity), and Gracious Wings' voice broke through the silence. "We're here," she said. "Do you remember this place Lyra?"

Lyra looked at where they had arrived and saw only a single large tree. A puzzled look occupied her face, but after a moment's thought, realization dawned on her.

"This is where I told my story to all those ghosts!" she exclaimed.

Gracious Wings nodded. "Yes, this is the place."

"But…there seems to be someone sitting among the roots…" she said, peering out, trying to see the face.

Gracious Wings simply nodded again. "Yes, this person is waiting for you."

Lyra walked cautiously toward the sitting figure among the roots of the tree. When she got halfway between them, she noticed the figure start to move. She stopped, dead in her tracks, and waited. The figure's head swiveled toward her and the body got up, and began walking toward her.

Lyra waited for the figure to come close enough for her to see its face clearly. When it was close enough, she saw a man's old face, wrinkled just as much as her own. But when she looked at the eyes, she could barely believe it.

She stood, stock-still, just staring at the man with widening eyes, her heart barely able to contain her joy. "Will…" she whispered.

Will smiled at her, his own face lighting up at the sight of her. "Lyra…"

And then, with a burst of pure joy and happiness and love they rushed at each other. They tried to hug, tried to kiss and hold each other in their arms, but their hands only went through each other, barely feeling anything.

When they realized this, they resorted to simply looking at each other and were surprised to see that the person they saw was not eighty, but much, much younger.

They were twelve again.

Seeing the face that she had kept inside her memories since the day they were separated, her eyes brimmed with tears of joy and she could barely contain her happiness. Lyra reached out toward him, trying to hold him, but her fingers simply passed right through each other.

Lyra pursed her lips at this and tears of sadness replaced the tears of joy. _After more than seventy years and still, I can't touch him, _she thought, _Why not?! It's just not fair!_

Will saw her distress and tried to comfort her. "Lyra...Lyra…look, at least we're back together." Forgetting his transparency, he reached out toward her, but only passed right through.

He stared at his fingers that _looked_ like they were touching her, but he couldn't feel a thing. And he felt his own despair spreading through his heart. But, he did not let the tears fall.

Will looked down at her. If love didn't consume every part of his being already, then looking at her with her joy and despair at seeing, but not being able to feel him would have been enough to make him fall in love with her all over again. Smiling down at her, he said, "If we go back to the world of the living, I'm sure we'll be able to hold each other for as long as we want! Remember, when we dissolve, into those trillions of atoms, we'll hold onto each other as hard as we can and we'll _feel_ each other, I just know it!"

Lyra looked at him and sniffed and said, "You're right. We have to get back to the living and be together and never let go, no matter what. But not just each other! Pan, Kirjava, your dad and mum, Iorek Byrnison, and even Dr. Malone and her mulefa friends and the Gallivespians and…and…so many more! We'll _all_ be reunited again!"

Lyra's eyes lit up again and her smile grew as she looked up at Will. And seeing his face, she swore she fell in love with him all over again. He was staring at her with such love, with a smile playing across his lips and eyes so pure and filled with love and joy. She couldn't help but stare back at him with the exact same expression.

His smile grew wider at the sight of her face and said to Gracious Wings, who had been standing by them, patiently awaiting them to be done with their reunion, "I think we're ready to go back to the living now."

Gracious Wings nodded her head and took to the sky, signaling them to follow her lead.

Lyra and Will obeyed, walking side by side, telling each other about their lives after they separated. They both willed each other to talk more, loving the sound of the other's voice, no matter how soft or weak it was.

Lyra was talking about how every year, and even more often than that, she sat at the Botanic Gardens, thinking – and partly _knowing_ – that Will was there, too. She would sit there, stroking her beloved Pantalaimon's fur and whisper softly everything that had happened during that day.

Will listened and absorbed every word that came out of her mouth and thought that the sound and the way her lips formed every sound she made was more beautiful than anything he had ever known. And he agreed with her. He began telling her about how he would sit at the Botanic Gardens on Midsummer Day at noon and would sit for that whole hour whispering quietly about the last few days or months. And sometimes, if he had the time, he would sit for far more than an hour because he knew that Lyra would still be sitting there.

And Lyra would eagerly listen to every word, wanting him to talk more because she loved his voice just as much as she loved everything else about him. They talked so much that they barely noticed the long, hard trek toward the opening and were extremely surprised when Gracious Wings announced their arrival.

"We're here," she said to them, interrupting their conversation.

Will and Lyra silenced immediately and looked at Gracious Wings. They all stood there, not uttering a single word, knowing that this was most likely the last time they would ever see Gracious Wings again. That realization spread over them like a dark cloud, threatening to rain down on them at any moment.

It was Lyra who broke the silence. She went up to the harpy and, once again forgetting her transparency, tried to throw her arms around her, but once again, her arms passed right through as if the harpy didn't really exist. She raised her lips to Gracious Wings' face and kissed her. Although neither felt anything, the love was evident.

Lyra stepped away from Gracious Wings, biting her lip and trying to cease the tears coursing down her cheeks. She looked at her, the harpy looked back, with hard, dry eyes, but they both saw the love within the other's eyes.

"Farewell, Lyra Silvertongue. This will be the last time we will ever see each other again."

Lyra swallowed against the lump in her throat and replied, trying to stop the shakiness of her voice. "Goodbye, Gracious Wings. I will never forget you."

The harpy looked past her, toward Will. "Farewell, for this is the last time we will be seeing each other as well."

Will stepped forward. "Goodbye, Gracious Wings." When their eyes locked, there was no love held within them, but a deep respect. Gracious bowed her head at him and Will nodded back.

"Lyra," he said, "let's go." He situated himself in front of the window and waited for her.

Lyra bit her lip and cast Gracious Wings one last look and stood beside Will. They both smelled the fresh air and felt the life buzzing within everything. Their heads spun from the change, realizing how much they yearned for the living. Exchanging glances and smiles, they stepped through the window, and entered the living.

For one split second, nothing happened to them. Taking this advantage, they stared at each other one last time…

And every atom in their body dispersed.

But unlike the rest of the ghosts whose atoms just drift away silently, Will's atoms and Lyra's atoms found the other and pulled together an held each other so tight, that they became one.

A/N: Whoa…this was long. checks the page I'm on WHOA!! 10 PAGES! AM I CRAZY?! Oh, well. I had fun writing it! Whoo-hoo! Lyra/Will 4eva! Lol!

Please review and tell me what you think. Flames are accepted (though not very appreciated), praise is really good (but I'd like it if you had an actual reason to praise it for other than it was good), and constructive criticism is EXACTLY what I'm looking for!! HUGE emphasis on "exactly."

Anyway, I'm not yet done with the story, however. I'm planning to write another part! audience gasps then boos at the potential length You know what? Shut up. Anyway, I really don't think it's gonna be half as long as this first part, but I'd still like to add in part 2!

So, that's all I gots ta say! See ya at part 2!!


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